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Measure B Commercial Cannabis Ban Ordered Off Special Ballot

San Andreas, CA — A visiting Calaveras County Superior Court judge today ordered the Registrar of Voters to remove the citizens’ initiative Measure B commercial cannabis cultivation ban from the May 2 special election ballot.

The direction came after Judge Richard D Meyer ruled that the language of the initiative failed to substantially comply with a section of the Election Code. The action followed the judge’s consideration of a petition recently filed by Jeremy Carlson of Calaveras Naturals, which owns Little Trees Dispensary in Arnold. Carlson sought a writ of mandate to delete the measure due to incorrect and misleading wording.

Clerk-Recorder and Registrar of Voters Rebecca Turner comments, “As the election official I strongly support elections because I think that is how our representatives see what the majority wants. At this point, without an election, we will never know what the majority of the population wanted to happen with this measure.”

Turner adds now only 2,300 of what would have been roughly 29,000 ballots will be mailed. This is because only residents of three special districts in Copperopolis will be receiving versions that also contain measures relating to fire district and/or residential district taxes. Although Measure B is already printed on those ballots, she says her office is taking internal measures ensuring that no Measure B votes are recorded.